What is sibutramine and what is wrong with it

Sibutramine which is usually marketed as sibutramine hydrochloride monohydrate salt is a drug used for oral administration for treatment of obesity. It is basically an appetite suppressant. around 20 drug companies are marketing this drug under different brand names. Administration and usage of this drug has invited serious concerns about its safety. This has been suspended from use in the UK and EU. European Medicine Agency (EMA) has recommended complete withdrawal of the drug from European markets due to serious side effects. Now India’s Top Drug Regulator, DGCI (Drugs Controller General of India ) initiates steps to ascertain the safety profile of the medicine. It asks the pharmacovigilance committee to take note of the EMA decision.